


Duo's Family Rewrite

by ammiehawk



Category: Gundam Wing, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22626853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammiehawk/pseuds/ammiehawk
Summary: One year after the Mariemaya Uprising, the Gundam boys decide to join the Preventers. Upon entering, they have to go through various tests and screenings. One of these tests uncovers a long-lost family of one Duo Maxwell. Crossover with Harry Potter. AU Potterverse, sixth year.
Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner
Comments: 22
Kudos: 120





	1. Say What?!

Duo’s Family Rewrite

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape, or form, own either Gundam Wing or Harry Potter

Summary: One year after the Mariemaya Uprising, the Gundam boys decide to join the Preventers. Upon entering, they have to go through various tests and screenings. One of these tests uncovers a long-lost family of one Duo Maxwell. Crossover with Harry Potter. AU Potterverse, sixth year.

Chapter 1: Say What?!

Duo Maxwell, the former pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe, was sitting quietly in the conference room of the Preventers Head Quarters. He, along with his fellow pilots; Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, and Quatre Winner, were waiting for Lady Une to arrive and give them the all clear to join the prestigious underground organization. They had completed the paperwork and all the medical examinations to join, they were just waiting on the former OZ colonel to actually induct them in.

The braided teen was just starting to fidget in his seat from sheer boredom, when the door opened and in walked Lady Une, closely followed by the Preventers on-site doctor, Sally Po. Once both ladies were seated, Une cleared her throat and looked around at the four teens.

“I’m sorry to have to put you through all this,” she said, smiling softly, “what with your war records and all it shouldn’t be necessary, but sadly, I do have to follow basic procedures.”

“We understand, Lady Une,” the polite blond across from Duo nodded slightly.

“I’m happy to say that all of you passed with flying colors,” the brunette shook her head. “However, before I officially induct you into this organization, a few things came up on a couple of your tests.”

“Like what?” the normally stoic Heero scowled slightly.

“Doctor Po?” Une motioned for the blonde woman to proceed.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Heero,” the doctor smiled at the former Wing pilot. “However, one of the tests required is a DNA test, having to do with the new laws put in place to find homes for the war orphans. It doesn’t affect any of you directly, as you have all been emancipated and will be turning eighteen within the year, however, we thought that you would be interested in those results.”

“You sayin’ some of us got families?” Duo scoffed. “Aside from Quat, that is?”

“That is exactly what we are saying, Mr. Maxwell,” brown eyes leveled steadily on the braided teen. “In fact, you and Mr. Yuy are the ones we discovered have families. Now, Mr. Yuy, when we say discovered, it is a bit more complicated than that. Your mother and her family died many years ago, and your father’s family, what little we found on them, are also deceased.”

“Then why are you telling me this?” Prussian blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Calm down, Mr. Yuy,” she scowled. “There was one name that we could not trace passed the age of eleven. We know he didn’t die at that age, considering he had to be alive until at least the age of sixteen. Now, the reason we are giving you this information is that we are hoping with your skills, that you will be able to track them down, one way or another. And we are also hoping that you can use those skills to help us improve the Preventers resources so we can better continue to find homes for the still numerous war orphans.”

“Are you going to continue being vague,” the former Wing pilot said tersely, “or do I get a name?”

“The man we are looking for,” she sighed heavily, “is your father. He would be about thirty-six years old, and, at one point in time, went by the name Severus Snape.”

“Hn,” Heero nodded, filing the information away for later.

“This ain’t funny, Lady,” Duo shook his head, frowning. “I’m an orphan.”

“While that remains true, Duo,” Sally took over once again. “Your parents are, in fact, dead, however, we have uncovered that you have a living aunt and a fifteen year old brother. Your aunt, your mother’s sister, is married and has a sixteen year old son. All four of them live together in Surrey, England.”

“You have two days to prepare for their arrival,” Lady Une said in a no-nonsense tone, noting the former Deathscythe pilot’s blindsided expression. “Chang is retrieving them as we speak. This is in accordance with the Family Reconstruction Act. I expect you to be here at 0800 on that day, and you may bring whoever you wish along with you. Now, with that being said, let’s get you lot set up as Preventer agents.”

888888

Surrey, England

Wufei Chang was not a happy camper, no sir. He had been assigned the task of retrieving one of his friends’ and fellow pilots’ newly discovered family. The mission was rather beneath his abilities, but as it was one of his fellow pilots involved that made these people almost his family too. He had scoffed at the assignment when Lady Une, his superior, had given it to him, but as she had pointed out, this was a good opportunity to get a feel of these people before setting Maxwell loose on them. The fact that he was on this mission, however, was not the reason for his ire. No, he had completely accepted the mission.

As soon as the plate touched down in England, things had started to go downhill. He was supposed to have a car waiting for him, but the assholes at the rental place didn’t have his name or codename, or even the Preventers, on the registry, so he’d had to pay out of his own pocket for the damn car. Une was so reimbursing him for that one. Then there was the annoying drive from London to Surrey. That in and of itself wouldn’t have been a problem if he hadn’t been driving the monstrosity of a car that could easily fit six to seven people comfortably.

Then he had to find the damn house. Scratch that, the house was easy enough to spot; it was in a nice neighborhood, with well tended lawns and the little gardens out front. Yeah, it was suburbia hell. The thing about Four Privet Drive that stood out, however, was the fact that it was almost too perfect. The family that lived there had to be obsessive about keeping it up, to have it look that good. Not even Quatre’s houses had that level of perfection, and he was the fucking Winner heir.

He parked on the street, and made his way up to the door. There wasn’t a car in the drive, but the file he received did state that the man of the house worked regular hours, so he wasn’t too concerned. He rang the doorbell and waited. There was no answer, even after several tries. He knew he couldn’t give up, this was Maxwell’s family after all. So, he sat down on the step to wait for their return, it shouldn’t be too long.

888

Harry Potter sat gloomily in the backseat of his uncle’s car. He had just finished his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was on his way back to the Dursleys for summer break. While most teens would be looking forward to their vacations, Harry Potter wasn’t, for more reasons than one. Not only was he going to be separated from his friends for most of the break, but he had just lost his godfather, a man he barely knew but had loved like a father nonetheless. Sirius Black had been his last chance for any semblance of a normal family, and now that was completely taken away from him. Once again, Voldemort, the darkest wizard since Grindlewald, had taken away someone he loved.

The wizard jerked sharply from his thoughts as Uncle Vernon pulled into the driveway of Number Four Privet Drive. He sighed as he looked up at the two story house he’d be spending the next two months in. However, he noticed something strange as he slipped out of the backseat; there was an unfamiliar black car parked on the street in front of the house and a uniformed young man stood at the door of the house.

He didn’t recognize the uniform, but he knew it wasn’t the local law enforcement. His stomach clenched in sudden fear as he thought of what this man could want. Maybe the Dursleys had finally decided they had enough of him and were having him shipped off somewhere. Not that he would mind too terribly much, anywhere was sure to be better than the Dursleys, but his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was expecting him to stay with them.

“Mr. Vernon Dursley, I presume?” the agent greeted politely, trying his best not to sneer at the man. God, he’d seen pigs in better shape. On top of that, he’d been waiting for two hours for the Dursleys to arrive, but no matter how irritated he was he was going to be professional about this.

The fat man nodded in acknowledgement, “How can I help you, officer?”

“I am looking for a Mrs. Petunia Dursley, and a Mr. Harry Potter,” he crossed his hands in front of him in a non-threatening gesture, so as not to intimidate these people, the small boy in the back had already paled upon seeing him.

“I am Petunia Dursley,” the horse-faced woman frowned at the man. “Would you like to come inside? We can discuss this matter over tea.”

Anyone with half a brain cell could tell the invitation wasn’t sincere. She just wanted him off her doorstep so the neighbors wouldn’t gossip, if the darting of her eyes in every direction was any indication. Wufei felt it was a bit late for that, considering he’d already been there for two fucking hours. Though, if they had been home when he first got there, he would’ve accepted, even if it wasn’t sincere, he loved watching people squirm. Okay, he may have picked that up from Maxwell, not that he’d ever admit it out loud.

“I’m afraid there’s not time for that,” he shook his head to clear his thoughts, his short ponytail following the movement. “It is imperative that you and young Mr. Potter come with me, we have a shuttle to catch.”

“Now, you listen here, boy,” Vernon lunged forward and latched his meaty fists on his collar, and it took everything within the former Shenlong pilot to not retaliate, “you won’t be taking any wife anywhere. Not without explaining yourself.”

“I demand you unhand me this instant, sir,” the agent’s jaw clenched in anger. This pig only mentioned his wife, did he not care about his nephew at all? “Unless, of course, you’d like me to take you into Preventer custody for manhandling an officer.”

“P-P-Preventers?” he spluttered, drawing his hand back as though burned.

“Yes, the Preventers,” the Chinese teen had to use all his self control to keep himself from smirking. Yeah, that shut him up. “Now, I suggest you head into the house and pack for a week, Mrs. Dursley, Mr. Potter.” Then he added, more as an afterthought, “You may feel free to join us, Mr. Dursley, as well as your son. However, we leave in fifteen minutes.”

He was pleased to see the fat man and the horse-faced woman shuffle the obese teen into the house with a speed that would’ve made Heero proud. However, he wasn’t sure why the small raven was still standing on the porch with him. Didn’t he know he needed to pack?

Harry sighed and went over to the still open car and retrieved his school things from the trunk, as well as Hedwig’s cage from the backseat. He knew his uncle would beat him for taking his things out in front of this stranger, but what real choice did he have? He didn’t know what the significance of the title Preventer was, but Uncle Vernon was obviously scared of the man. With that in mind, he knew he’d get a worse beating if he kept them waiting because he didn’t get his clothes out of the back.

He flipped the latch on Hedwig’s cage and offered his arm for a perch. She hopped on and he absently began scratching her head, wondering what to do with her for the next week. In a bout of inspiration, he quickly located a scrap of paper in the glove box, as well as a pen, and scrawled a quick note to Ron and attached it to the owl’s leg.

“I need you to stay with Ron for a week,” he told the owl quietly, stroking her lightly. “He’ll take care of you, you know that.”

The snowy owl hooted once in affirmation before lifting off into the air. Harry watched her go, not sure if he’d see her in the foreseeable future.

Wufei watched the teen from his post at the door, not sure what he was doing wasting his time with the things in the car. Didn’t this boy realize he was in a hurry to get out of there and back to his regular job? He scoffed as he realized the boy was taking an actual owl from the backseat and then letting it out of the cage.

“Don’t you realize that was very foolish?” the Chinese teen scowled as the bird took off, though, he was more curious to know what the hastily written note had said. “I’m sure that bird won’t last in the wild, not if it has been in captivity long.”

“Huh?” confused green eyes turned to regard him. “Oh, Hedwig? She’ll be fine. She’s trained. I just sent her off to a friend’s for the week. I didn’t want to leave her here unattended.”

The former Shenlong pilot nodded once. He’d heard of trained birds, which would explain the note, though in his opinion it was a rather medieval practice that he’d thought had fallen into obscurity long ago. He’d have to ask Trowa about it when next he saw him.

“Very well. But you should head inside and pack. You have less than ten minutes now.”

“Oh, all my stuff’s right here,” the shaggy haired raven, Wufei wasn’t sure whether it was Dudley Dursley or Harry Potter yet, patted the truck next to him. “I just got back from school. It would take more time for me to go upstairs and unpack and then repack.”

The agent nodded again. So this was Maxwell’s brother, it had to be. The Dursley boy’s school had been out for almost three weeks now.

After awhile, Harry began to fidget nervously under the other’s gaze. He wasn’t sure why, but this man intrigued him. I mean, come on, it wasn’t everyday a Muggle officer wanted him for anything. He would’ve been more worried if it was an Auror standing at the door.

The Chinese teen almost smirked as he watched the now dubbed Harry start to fidget in the silence that had fallen over them, definitely Maxwell’s brother. He watched the curiosity form in those emerald depths, much the way the former Deathscythe pilot’s did, and he was almost anticipating the question brewing in that head. The braided teen always managed to surprise him when he was like this.

“So,” the bespectacled teen tried for nonchalance by leaning on his trunk, much to the other’s amusement, “what is a Preventer anyway?”

It took all the self control that had been trained into him not to gape openly at the boy, and then, in his confusion, he said a very Maxwellish thing, “Have you been living under a rock for the past two years?” God, he needed to stop hanging out with that braided idiot.

The young wizard blanched slightly at the tone, but thought up a plausible excuse for not knowing, “I don’t get out much, nor do I stay up to date with current events. I mainly focus on my studies.”

“I see,” the former Shenlong pilot lied, that made very little sense to him at all. He knew that every school in the ESUN was required to do a study in recent events, Lady Une and Relena had made sure of that. “The Preventers is an organization dedicated to maintaining the long fought for peace in the Earth Sphere Unified Nations.”

“Oh, right,” Harry nodded, still rather clueless. “I think I heard it mentioned a few times when my uncle was watching the news.”

That still made no sense to the Preventer agent, but before he was able to counter that claim, the three Dursleys barreled out of the house, each carrying a suitcase. He led the four new members of Maxwell’s family to the car, only pausing briefly to pick up the deceptively heavy trunk by their car. He didn’t miss the dark scowl thrown Harry’s way by the pig he called an uncle, which promised some sort of pain in the near future, but it really wasn’t his place to fix it at the moment. Maybe he could get Une to call for an investigation later, but for now he’d let it be.

As they piled into the monstrosity of a car he’d rented, he was actually shocked to see how cramped it could become. He felt sorry for Harry, who was sitting in the back between his aunt and cousin. He almost wished he could shove Vernon Dursley back there and have Harry sit in the front with him, but then there wouldn’t have been any room in the back for anyone else. So much for this car seating seven comfortably, but then again, he didn’t think he’d be hauling pigs around.

“Now,” Vernon said gruffly, as Wufei started the car, he was sure the obese man was going for intimidating, but it wasn’t working, he’d been a Gundam pilot after all, “you want to tell us why you dragged us out of our house like that?”

“I didn’t drag you anywhere,” he answered calmly, but rolled his eyes slightly and added in his head, ‘If I had there would’ve been cuffs involved and possibly a gun.’ “And I’m sure you have all heard of the Family Reconstruction Act?”

“Yes,” Petunia leaned forward from her place behind her husband, her brow furrowed. “But we don’t have any other family.”

“Ah, but apparently you do, or I would not be here,” he smirked slightly, he never expected denial about it from the Dursleys, this made this mission that much more fun. “It just so happens, Mrs. Dursley, that your sister, Mr. Potter’s mother, had another son.”

“I’ve got a brother?” Harry scowled. “But that’s not possible. My parents died when I was one.”

The horse-faced woman’s jaw began working furiously, as though she were biting back the words she wished to say.

“Aunt Petunia,” the wizard leveled her with a glare, knowing that he wouldn’t suffer any consequences while the officer was with them, “is there something you’d like to tell me? Maybe something about my parents you didn’t tell me five years ago?”

Petunia huffed indignantly and sat back in her seat, a dark frown on her features, but she didn’t answer her nephew’s questions. Though, it did raise questions in the Preventer’s mind about how these people had raised Maxwell’s brother, if he didn’t know anything about his parents until five years ago.

The rest of the trip to Brussels was made in silence, with none of the Dursleys speaking to either Wufei or Harry, and Harry, apparently saw no reason to bother the agent with questions about his newfound brother.


	2. Meeting the Family

Chapter 2: Meeting the Family

After the plane landed, Wufei drove the Dursleys and Harry to an upscale hotel where two rooms were already booked for their stay, courtesy of the Preventers. He saw them to their rooms and bid them goodnight, saying he’d be there in the morning to take them to Preventer Headquarters where the meeting with their family member would take place.

As soon as the Chinese agent was gone, Vernon Dursley rounded on his nephew. That little whelp had disrespected them too much already on this trip and, while he might not do anything right this moment, he would be sure that brat kept his place for the remainder of this ordeal.

“Now you listen here, boy,” he grabbed the raven by the scruff of the neck, forcing his head back to look at him, “you think just because these officers are here you can get away with this… this shit, you’ve got another thing coming to you. As soon as we get home, you are confined to your room, only leaving to use the bathroom, am I understood?”

Harry gulped, he knew he’d suffer for his attitude, but he’d thought it’d be a beating or even extra chores, but this was much worse in his opinion, it’d be just like the summer before his second year, but he nodded anyway, “Yes, sir.”

“Now, get to bed, I don’t want to see you before that agent arrives tomorrow morning,” his uncle growled out, shoving him toward his bed. “And if you keep Dudley awake tonight, I’ll add in a beating.”

Without even bothering to change, the young wizard flopped down on the bed and buried his head in the pillow, refusing to allow any tears to fall. He just hoped this would be over soon.

The next morning, the teen from before arrived, as promised, bright and early. Harry was ready before any of the Dursleys, and because Dudley refused to get out of bed, they were over half an hour late, causing the Preventer agent to scowl darkly.

They arrived at Preventer Headquarters and the agent led them to an elevator and pushed the up button. The wizard tried to keep track of everything and everyone in the lobby, but it didn’t do much good, the Chinese teen kept hurrying them along. Finally, the lift arrived and they all piled in and the agent hit a button, taking them up.

When the elevator arrived on the proper floor, the five of them stepped out into a small reception area. The first thing the shaggy haired raven noticed was a rather stern looking woman, leaning against the desk of a nervous looking, mousy female, and barking out questions. After a moment, she must have realized that someone else was there, as she turned suddenly and spotted their group.

“05, you’re late,” her eyes narrowed dangerously as they zeroed in on the agent.

“My apologies, Lady Une,” the Chinese teen bowed slightly, “we had a bit of a delay.” He shot a glare in the Dursleys’ direction.

“Head inside, they’re waiting,” she waved him off. “I’ll take over the explanation to the Dursleys and Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he saluted and entered the door almost directly behind the woman.

“I’m sorry about that,” Lady Une smiled at the family. “Have to keep a tight ship around here or they’ll run wild, especially that one. Now, I am Lady Une, the commander of the Preventers, and you must be Mr. and Mrs. Dursley?”

“Oh, please,” Petunia gave a very congenial smile, which Harry knew was fake, “call us Vernon and Petunia. And this is our son, Dudley,” she put her arm around the obese teen proudly, and then added as an afterthought, “And that’s our nephew, Harry.”

“Welcome to the Preventers,” the lady nodded. “Now, your other nephew is waiting inside this room,” she indicated the door she’d just sent the agent through, “as well as some of his friends. They are a very close knit group. They’re a bit high strung at times, but don’t let them intimidate you. Now, if you’ll please follow me.”

She turned on her heel and marched to the door, opened it briskly, and headed in.

888

Duo paced back and forth in the conference room they had met in earlier that week. He paused in his trek long enough to look at the clock. It was now nine o’clock, but there was no sign of his family. He and the other three, who had all elected to come in with him for emotional support, had arrived, on time, at eight and had been stuck here waiting ever since. They had talked and speculated for awhile, but that could only distract the former Deathscythe pilot for so long.

It had taken the braided teen almost a full day for the news to sink in that he had a family. When it finally did, he couldn’t sit still. It had almost driven the other three pilots to the brink of insanity. He spent his time alternately worrying that they wouldn’t like him, or excited that he was finally going to meet them, or even angry that he had missed out on his baby brother’s life.

“Duo… Duo… DUO!” Quatre’s voice broke into the braided teen’s frantic pacing, causing him to look at the blond Arabian curiously. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t stop. Not to mention the fact that you’re driving us crazy.”

“I can’t help it, Quat,” he bowed his head sheepishly and sank into the chair next to Heero. “What if he doesn’t like me? What if he does? What if he thinks I’m…”

“Shut up,” Heero cut into his ramblings. “It doesn’t matter one way or the other, you’ll always have us.”

“I know, I know,” he threw his hands up in frustration. “But this is my kid brother we’re talking about. I can’t help but worry.”

“You worry, Maxwell?” a voice said from the doorway. “That’ll be the day.”

“Fei!” Duo sprang out of his chair and practically threw himself at the Chinese teen. “Are they here? Did you bring them? Can I see them? What are they like? Does my brother look like me?”

“Get off me, Maxwell,” Wufei growled. “If you would actually let me get in the door, I will let them in.”

Heero stood and grabbed the self proclaimed Shinigami around the waist, and dragged him back to his seat, holding him firmly in his lap, so his newfound family wouldn’t receive the same greeting their comrade had. The raven turned as the door opened, saluting at Lady Une walked in, followed by four people.

The man, Duo assumed it was his uncle, was rather fat with watery blue eyes and a very large mustache. His aunt, in contrast, was bone skinny with a face like a horse and a neck like a giraffe. One of the boys with them was rather large, but it looked like he was just starting to get some muscle mass under the layers of fat. He hoped the blond wasn’t his brother, he looked like a bully and he was sure they wouldn’t get along. The other kid was on the short side, with messy black hair, bright green eyes behind unbecoming round glasses, and he had a strange scar on his forehead, shaped like a bolt of lightning.

Harry was rather shocked to see four males in the room they had entered, including the agent who had brought them here, as well as a young woman. His eyes darted around, trying to pinpoint which one was his brother, but he wasn’t really sure. He immediately eliminated the Chinese agent, quickly followed by the other oriental looking male, his parents weren’t oriental that he was aware of, though if the hair was anything to go by, the other could’ve been his brother, it just seemed to grow all over the place, just like his. The female was next, they had told him a brother after all. The little blond was a possibility, considering his aunt’s coloring. Though the teen beside him had green eyes, or eye, he could only see one, and the auburn hair could’ve possibly come from Lily.

“Duo Maxwell,” Lady Une said, taking a seat at the head of the table, “allow me to introduce you to your family. Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley, their son, Dudley,” she pointed them out as she gave their names and they nodded in response, “and your brother, Harry Potter. Petunia, this is your nephew, Duo Maxwell, as well as your brother, Harry.” She indicated the brunet sitting on the other oriental teen’s lap.

The young wizard hid his surprise well, considering he’d thought his brother was a girl, it could’ve been the three foot rope of hair through. However, his aunt wasn’t so discreet about it, she gasped quite audibly in his opinion. He sent her a glare before moving over to the brunet indicated by the Preventer commander, extending his hand in greeting.

“Hi, I’m Harry.”

The braided teen pushed to his feet, a bit shakily, and grasped the proffered hand before pulling his brother into a hug. The raven stiffened at the unexpected contact, a fact the other picked up on, before returning the embrace. After a few moments, the former Deathscythe pilot drew back, holding the younger teen at arm’s length, drinking in his brother’s appearance.

He had to admit he wasn’t too impressed by what he saw, but he knew that it wasn’t the boy’s fault. The clothes Harry was wearing were at least three times his size, if the belt cinched around the waist and the rolled up sleeves were any indication. And it could just be a style choice, who was he to judge, but he had a feeling they were hand-me-downs from the obese teen that was their cousin. He had also felt almost every rib in the boy’s body during their embrace, indicating he didn’t usually get much to eat. He was also entirely too short for a boy his age, and while Duo, himself, wasn’t overly tall, he knew that it had to do with growing up on the streets and having very little to eat most of the time, and this should not be the case for someone who had grown up with a family. There was also a trace of tears in the vibrant green eyes, which were as expressive as his own.

Harry was also taking in his brother’s appearance. He, however, was very impressed. Not only was the older teen good looking, but he had the coolest fashion sense he’d ever seen in a Muggle, with his tight black jeans, and black leather jacket zipped up over a red shirt. He had never seen anyone, wizard or Muggle, pull off black that well, not even Snape, who only wore black. He could also see the similarities between himself and his parents in his brother, there was no doubt now that they were related. While Harry was the spitting image of James Potter, his brother, Duo, looked very much like the pictures he had of his mother, except for the eyes, which he wasn’t sure where they came from, considering James had hazel eyes, and Lily green, but then again, it could’ve been a recessive gene, considering the Dursleys had blue eyes.

“So,” the former Deathscythe pilot finally said, breaking the rather tense silence that had fallen over the room at the brother’s reunion. “Tell me, squirt, do I live up to your expectations?”

Emerald eyes flashed in slight indignation at the title, but before that could take hold, the events of recent weeks came crashing down on the Boy-Who-Lived and he practically threw himself in his brother’s arms once more and began sobbing. Everyone stared at the messy haired teen in confusion, even the Dursleys, at the display.

“Way to go, Maxwell,” Wufei shook his head. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothin’,” amethyst orbs narrowed into a glare at the former Shenlong pilot, before turning his attention back to his brother. “Shh, it’s okay. There’s no need to cry.”

The raven shook his head, unable to put into words the thoughts racing through his head. On the one hand, he was glad his brother hadn’t pushed him away yet, considering he thought he had lost the closest connection to his parents he would ever find; but on the other, he was sure this same brother, who now held him close, would hate him when he found out what he was and what he’d done, and had yet to do, it was obvious that he had spent little to no time in the wizarding world.

Duo drew his attention away from the smaller figure in his arms as he heard their uncle clear his throat.

“You’ll have to forgive my nephew,” he was saying to Lady Une. “He’s rather… disturbed. Meeting new people upsets him.”

He felt the young wizard stiffen in his arms. The other pilots caught it too and turned cold, blank stares on the fat man. Lady Une noticed their expressions and decided now was the time to intervene and speak with her newest agents in private.

“If you four would excuse us,” she nodded in the Dursleys direction, “I have a few things to discuss with these gentlemen before I dismiss them to get to know you better.”

As soon as the door closed behind them, she turned her attention back to the boys in the room.

“Was there something you wanted to say, Maxwell?” she asked, getting straight to the point.

“I can’t let him go back with them, Une,” he shook his head slightly. “Just from what little I’ve seen, I can’t. What’d you think, Fei?”

Onyx eyes darted in Lady Une’s direction, silently asking for permission before answering his friend. At her nod, he spoke.

“The Dursleys and Potter do not appear to get along,” he began delicately. “When I picked them up at their address, the rest of the family went inside to pack and left Potter outside to gather all his belongings from the car himself. The trunk itself weighed one hundred pounds, if not more. On the flight here, they did not speak to one another at all, having had words on the drive about the aunt keeping things from him. Apparently, from what he said, he knew nothing of his parents until the age of eleven.”

“What about the clothes?” Quatre asked quietly. “Surely he has something else to wear?”

“I don’t know,” Wufei shook his head. “I did not get a chance to look into his trunk. But, considering the fact that the others were dressed rather nicely, I think it safe to assume he has nothing better, except, perhaps, his school uniform.”

“What makes you think he has a uniform?” Lady Une questioned, her brow furrowed slightly to hide her surprise; she knew the boy had a uniform but how would her agent. “If his aunt and uncle refuse to buy him new clothes, why do you think they would pay for him to go to a private school that would require a uniform?”

“He said his things were in his trunk, as he had just returned from school,” the raven haired teen sighed. “That leads to only one conclusion and that is that he attends a boarding school.”

“Perhaps his grades were such that he received a sponsor to a private school,” the blond suggested.

“His grades through primary school were very average,” Lady Une shook her head, opening the folder in front of her, though inside she was laughing at how close these boys were coming to the truth without realizing it. “Perhaps he had a hidden talent that someone recognized and gave him a scholarship. However, back to your original request, Maxwell,” she shifted a few papers in front of her, “I figured you would say something like that. So, I had the papers drawn up, and if you can get the Dursleys to sign them, your brother can go home with you. I won’t even make you wait for them to get processed.”

“Sweet!” Duo jumped up, punching his fist into the air and snatching the form out of his superior’s hand.

The braided teen made his way over to the door but paused as he heard someone talking from the room beyond. He silently unlatched the door and opened it a crack to see what was going on.

Outside the room, Harry sank down into a vacant chair, absently noting that the mousy agent was no longer at the desk, and scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. He really hated his life at the moment. It wasn’t that he wasn’t glad he had a brother, he was, but he almost wished he didn’t. He knew that if he aunt and uncle got their say, which they usually did during the break, his brother would think he was some sort of freak criminal who deserved nothing but what he got. And maybe they were right. It was, after all, his fault Sirius was dead, no matter what anyone said to the contrary. If he had learned Occlumancy then Voldemort wouldn’t have placed that false vision and he never would’ve been in the Department of Mysteries to begin with.

He was brought from his little pity party by Vernon roughly grabbing the collar of his shirt. He was pulled out of the chair and into the air, barely able to touch the ground with his tiptoes, as his uncle dragged him to eye level.

“Now you listen here, boy,” spit shot out of his uncle’s mouth with every syllable. “You’re not to say another word, got that?” he shook him slightly for emphasis. “Apparently, your brother’s not your kind, and as such, the government will most likely compensate us for taking him off their hands.”

“So this is only about money to you?” the raven gasped slightly, Vernon’s grip was stifling his air supply.

What happened next had the self proclaimed Shinigami seeing red, and had it not been for the quick actions of his boyfriend, he would’ve been out the door and shooting that pig that was dressed as a man. Vernon Dursley’s meaty fist had connected firmly with Duo Maxwell’s little brother’s jaw, causing his head to jerk to the side with the impact. That… monster had not slapped him, or thumped him upside the head, but punched him. There was no way that was going to fly.

“You’ll show some respect, boy, or you’ll get worse when we get home. Don’t think those freaky little friends of yours will be able to stop me. Do I make myself clear?” he shook him again for good measure.

“Yes, Uncle Vernon,” Harry replied quietly, knowing from past experiences that his uncle was as bad as his word.

Vernon nodded once and tossed him back into his seat, straightening his suit to make himself presentable once more. In the room, Heero slipped the door silently closed, keeping a firm grip n the base of his lover’s braid with his free hand. He then dragged the struggling teen back over to his seat and forced him to remain there.

“That was definitely enlightening,” Lady Une sat back in her chair, her fingers drumming together in front of her. “I have a plan,” she leaned forward slightly, catching Duo’s eye and causing him to desist his struggles. “Agent 02, I want you to try and get them to sign the custody papers, if they refuse, Agent 01,” she indicated the shaggy haired brunet, “you are to arrest them immediately for child abuse. However, if they hand him over quietly, we will gather evidence together and form a solid case against them, let them think they’ll get away with it, before moving in to take them down. Am I understood?”

“Understood,” the two teens in question nodded, an evil grin spreading across the braided teen’s features.

“Very well, Agent 05, you’re with me,” she pushed to her feet. “Agents 03 and 04,” she nodded to Trowa and Quatre, “enjoy your free time before your missions begin.”

A moment later, the conference room door swung open and Lady Une exited the room, followed by the officer who had escorted the Dursleys there. They barely spared a glance at the people in the hall, before walking briskly off. Harry almost wished that they would’ve stayed, at least then his uncle wouldn’t try anything too violent.

A few more moments passed before the other four males from the room came out. The other three didn’t even pause, before heading off toward the lifts and disappearing. Duo, however, walked directly to where Vernon and Petunia were sitting and paused, fidgeting with a paper clutched in his hands.

“So,” he shifted slightly, apparently nervous, “Lady Une said that all that was needed was your signature here, and we can be on our way.”

“What is it?” Petunia eyed it beadily, as if it were a snake ready to strike.

“Standard guardianship papers,” the former Deathscythe pilot shrugged, not lying at all, he just wasn’t telling the whole truth. “Ya know, these government types like ta make sure ever’thin’s official.”

“Alright then, where do we sign?” Vernon’s eyes took on a malicious gleam.

“Right at the bottom there,” the teen indicated, handing over the paper and a pen he’d snatched off the nearby desk.

The obese man signed the paper with a flourish and then handed them to his wife. She hesitated only for a moment, but then put her own signature beneath her husband’s. A smirk flirted with the braided teen’s mouth as he gathered the paper back and placed his signature after theirs.

Once that was finished everyone stood and made their way to the elevators, and thus the exit. The Dursleys and Harry paused on the main floor as Duo sidetracked when they reached the front desk. He handed the paperwork to the lady behind the counter with a charming smile. He then turned and led his family outside, where Heero was waiting.

“Oh, there you are,” the former Deathscythe pilot beamed when he saw the shaggy haired brunet. “Could you take Harry to the car, love? I’ll be along shortly.”

The former Wing pilot nodded once and grabbed the young wizard’s arm, pulling him into the parking lot and away from the Dursleys. Harry looked back in some confusion, but didn’t protest. This teen was scary enough, with his completely stoic expression; he didn’t want to see him angry because he threw a fit he didn’t mean.

“What is the meaning of this, boy?” Vernon snarled, turning to the self proclaimed Shinigami with fury in his beady eyes.

“Harry’s going with me,” the braided pilot cocked his head to the side innocently. “You did just sign over custody of him to me, so it only makes sense that I take him to my house.”

“Why you lying little…” the pig of a man lunged forward, attempting to grab Duo as he had done to Harry earlier.

“I never lie, _uncle_ ,” he spat the title as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, nimbly avoiding the large man’s grasp. “I just left out the part that those papers granted me complete custody of my brother. It’s not my fault you were too greedy to read through them before signing.”

“You haven’t heard the last of this, whelp,” Vernon snarled furiously. “I’ll get my lawyer…”

“And do what?” Duo gave a mocking laugh. “Waste your money in court on a fraudulent custody battle. It would never stand.” He reached out quickly and pulled Vernon down so he could whisper in his ear, “Besides, after the display I saw in the hall earlier, you’d never win, even if it was legit. No judge would put a child back into an abusive home, especially when the alternative is a Preventer agent and a decorated war veteran.” He let go and straightened up, “Good bye, Aunt Petunia, _Uncle_ Vernon, we won’t be seeing each other again.”

With that, he turned on his heel and followed Heero and Harry’s path into the parking lot. The Dursleys watched him go, their mouths agape at the audacity of the boy that was their nephew.

“Dumbledore’s not going to like this,” Petunia muttered darkly, before the three of them headed off in the direction of their hotel.


	3. Wizarding Problems

Chapter 3: Wizarding Problems

Wufei followed Lady Une dutifully down the hall, away from the conference room. He had to admit he was glad Maxwell was taking Harry into his custody. After seeing him with the Dursleys, he feared for the boy’s safety. And he’d get to see him almost every day, not that he cared, mind you. No, what really bothered him about the whole situation was the fact that one of their own, and Harry was now included in that number, was suffering needlessly.

Two floors up, the Chinese pilot turned to head toward his office, but his commander stopped him.

“Chang, I need you to come to my office,” she called over her shoulder.

His brow rose incredulously, “I haven’t filed my report yet, Lady Une. Wouldn’t a meeting be rather pointless at this juncture?”

The head of the Preventers turned, crossing her arms and giving him an amused smirk, “This isn’t about your mission, Wufei. You gave your report downstairs, and anything you didn’t say there is more than likely in the report you have hidden under your jacket.” Here he looked away slightly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks at being caught out. “No, the reason I need you in my office is that I have a very important meeting in a few minutes and, quite frankly, I don’t trust the man much. Besides, it’d be helpful if my top agents were privy to this knowledge.”

The teen nodded, understanding the silent command in her last statement, he had orders to tell his fellow Gundam pilots what was said during this meeting. With a smirk, he took point and led the way down the hall toward Lady Une’s office. Playing his part, he opened the door and did a preliminary scan of the room before letting his commander enter.

Once Lady Une was seated, the two of them shared a look, and began chuckling slightly. They both knew that she could handle herself exceedingly well, it was just a power play to have him there, not that a seventeen year old was very frightening at first sight.

Before anything else could be said, Lady Une’s eyes swiveled quickly to the fireplace in the room, and she sat up straight in her high-backed chair.

“Ah, welcome to Preventer Headquarters, Minister…” she greeted, leaving the sentence open for introductions.

Wufei gave her a slightly confused look. Was she going insane, again? Well, that’s what he thought until he heard a voice answer from the supposedly empty room.

“Scrimgour, Rufus Scrimgour,” a gruff voice said from the area near the fireplace, causing the teen’s head to subtly whip around.

“Fudge told me to expect you, he just forgot to mention a name,” she nodded once. “This is Agent 05, he can be trusted.”

“I assumed as much,” Scrimgour nodded, taking the seat across from her. “Now, down to business. I’m a very busy man at the moment. I’m here to inform you of the situation currently happening in Britain.”

“I surmised as much,” she said. “So, I am to assume all the things going wrong are from your end?”

“There is currently a war going on in Wizarding Britain,” the man scowled slightly at her choice of words. “The enemy has recently become bolder in his attacks, as it has been made very clear that he has returned.”

The former Shenlong pilot’s mind screeched to a halt: Wizarding Britain? There were no such things as wizards. If this man didn’t seem dead set in his beliefs, the young agent would’ve laughed out right. Magic didn’t exist.

“I hope you understand the gravity of the situation,” Scrimgour continued, drawing him back to the conversation. “It would be folly on your part to send in your agents to investigate these occurrences. I would hate for you to lose good men in a battle you have no place in. With that being said, I bid you good day.”

The man got up from his seat and went back to the fireplace. He reached into a small jar on the mantelpiece and threw a small bit of powder into the flames, which weren’t there a second ago. A moment later, the flames flared green and Rufus Scrimgour stepped in, disappearing with a faint whooshing sound.

Lady Une sat back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face. Wufei, on the other hand, was staring at the fireplace, which was now quite empty of both man and flame, in a state of shock.

“I think,” the commander said after a few moment’s silence, “that he was full of shit. There are precautions we can take in this matter. I honestly think he underestimates the Preventers. Just because we don’t fight with his style doesn’t mean we are incompetent.” She snapped her fingers, as if coming to a sudden realization, “I have the perfect plan.”

She stood up and strode purposefully over to the fireplace, reaching into the same jar Scrimgour had.

“Damn it,” brown eyes landed on the empty grate. “I have to light a fire first. Wufei, get me some papers.”

Fearing for himself if his commander’s sanity was leaving again, he complied with her wishes and brought over a stack of discarded papers. After a few attempts, Lady Une had a small fire going. She threw in the green powder, causing the flames to rise and turn green as well. Before the Chinese teen could stop her, she stuck her head into the fire.

888

A few hundred miles away, in a ramshackle old house, a woman was bustling around the kitchen, making dinner, when a teenage girl with flaming red hair walked in behind her.

“Mum, there’s a fire call coming through,” she leaned casually against the counter.

“Oh, thank you, Ginny,” her mother smiled. “Could you watch dinner while I take it?”

With that the older woman made her way to the living room, to take the call. However, the face in the fireplace was not one she recognized.

“May I help you?” she asked politely, though she was gripping the wand in her pocket, ready to end the call if necessary.

“Yes,” the lady in the fire smiled slightly. “I am looking for William Weasley. Could you please tell him that Une is calling?”

“Just a moment,” she frowned.

She made her way to the door of the living room, making sure to keep an eye on the woman, Une as she had identified herself.

“Bill!” she called over her shoulder for her eldest son.

What sounded like thunder preceded the man who came running from upstairs. Bill was concerned, his mother sounded worried. As his father was still at work, and given the current climate, he felt it was his responsibility to protect the family in his absence.

“What is it, Mum?” he asked, his wand in his hand.

“You have a call, dear,” she said quietly, so her voice wouldn’t carry. “Someone by the name of Une.”

“Une?” he asked urgently. “Are you sure?”

“That’s what she said,” his mother nodded. “Should I just terminate the call?”

“No, I need to take it,” he shook his head, his long ponytail swinging agitatedly. “I’ll probably be leaving for a little while, work related, should be back within an hour though.”

“But, why, Bill?” she frowned deeply.

“I’m sorry, Mum, I can’t explain right this moment,” he kept his hand on her shoulder comfortingly and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I don’t have clearance, but she only calls in the case of an emergency, so I have to go. I’ll be perfectly safe, don’t worry.”

With that, Bill strode over to the fireplace.

“Lady Une,” he greeted the woman in the flames.

“William,” she replied. “I was wondering if you could come in for a bit, so we can talk?”

“Of course,” the redhead nodded. “If you’ll step back, I’ll be right through.”

Une nodded once before retreating back into the flames. Bill took a deep breath, grabbed a pinch of Floo powder and stepped in, saying PHQ.

888

Wufei just gaped as his superior pulled her head out of the fire, a triumphant smile on her face. A moment later, a tall redhead spun into view. He stepped out of the now unlit fireplace, his blue eyes darting around, silently assessing the situation.

“What is it, Une?” he asked urgently.

“Calm down, Weasley,” Lady Une smirked. “It’s not a life or death emergency. I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Oh,” Weasley visibly relaxed, a smile forming on his handsome face. “Well, what can I do for you, Lady Une? You know I’m always happy to fill in as a temporary agent.”

“That was why you were my first choice to call in this matter, Bill,” she laughed.

“Don’t you mean your only choice?” he raised a brow. “That is unless of course you’ve not needed me to be recruiting for you.”

Lady Une rolled her eyes in good humor, “Now, I was just visited by your new Minister, Scrimgour.”

“Ah, a good man, but slightly misguided, though not as much as his predecessor,” Bill nodded. “He was the potential to lead us through this current situation, if he doesn’t fall to the bureaucrats. Oh, you have a friend here today,” he nodded in the raven’s direction, who was still a little gobsmacked by the man walking out of the fire.

“This is Agent 05,” Lady Une introduced. “05, this is William Weasley, a special agent I have in the Wizarding World.”

“Please, call me Bill, William makes me think my Mum’s going to yell at me,” he smiled brightly, extending his hand to Wufei, which the agent took cautiously. “Wait a minute, are you from the Dragon Clan, formerly of L5?”

The former Shenlong pilot blinked in surprise, but answered nonetheless, “Yes, I was. They are dead now.”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Bill bowed his head sadly. “They were some good people, they’ll be missed. I’ll have to cart you off to Gringotts so you can claim your vault, otherwise the goblins’ll have my head.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lady Une questioned, her brow furrowed.

“Oh, Agent 5 here is from a very old magic line that dates back to times way before the colonies were even thought of,” the redhead smiled sheepishly. “The goblins have been on the lookout for the heir to the clan ever since the L5 explosion.”

That couldn’t be possible. There was no such thing as magic, and if there was, wouldn’t Meiran be alive, not to mention the rest of the clan who had died in the explosion? What about when he’d accidentally killed Treize Khushrenada, shouldn’t magic have prevented that? Or even the other monstrosities he’d committed during the war? Shouldn’t the war itself been prevented through magic?

“Commander, if you please,” the Chinese teen’s fists were clenched at his side in anger, “I believe this joke has gone on long enough. Ha, ha, very funny. You and I both know there is no such thing as magic.”

“So says the one with the magic to the one with none, yet still believes,” the wizard chuckled quietly. “Oh, magic is very real. Not everyone can walk through a fireplace in England and end up in Brussels a few minutes later.”

“It’s not possible,” the raven shook his head agitatedly.

“It’s very much possible,” Bill glanced surreptitiously in Lady Une’s direction. “You, my good man, have the potential to do magic. Now,” he turned his full attention to the lady in the room, “what is it you wanted me to do?”

“Oh, yes,” she smiled faintly, she hadn’t expected one of her top agents to be magical, but it did help matters. “I seem to recall you mentioning a group you were involved in dedicated to fighting, oh, what’s his name?”

“Most wizards just say ‘You-Know-Who,” the redhead chuckled, “but his name is Voldemort. But yes, I am part of the only group who is actively opposing him at the moment, led by Albus Dumbledore, though the Ministry says they are, too.”

“Good,” she nodded. “Now, my proposition is this, you talk with the leader of this group and get them to agree to hosting a select few of my agents for the coming year and see if we can aide in stopping this man.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” the wizard scratched his chin thoughtfully. “He’ll be up for it, I’m sure. He’s always going on about how wizards and Muggles need to work together. And if you send more magically potential men, like Agent 5 here, I’m sure he’d be ecstatic.”

“The team I have planned does include 05,” Lady Une smirked. “Though of the other four members, I only know one who has obvious magical talent. Though, through new evidence, there is a high probability that another does as well, considering who his family is.”

“Very well, I’ll take this matter before Dumbledore at the next opportunity,” Bill nodded and turned back toward the fireplace, taking a glance at the bracelet on his left wrist. “Oh, and Chang, if you’re ever in London, please stop by Gringotts, the goblins are waiting for you.”

With that being said, he stepped up to the once again lit fireplace, dropped the powder in, turning the flames green, and disappeared.

“Well, that went more smoothly than I expected,” the brunette shook her head slightly. “Now, don’t you have a report to turn in, Agent 05, and a family to get to?”


	4. A Conspiracy Unmasked

Chapter 4: A Conspiracy Unmasked

Heero led Harry to one of the many parked cars in the parking lot. He opened the back door and motioned for the younger teen to get in. The raven slipped in without protest, he wasn’t sure what was going on, but he also wasn’t sure he wanted to ask the other about it either. Once he was safely in the backseat, the former Wing pilot slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

A few silent moments passed before Duo skidded to a halt next to the passenger side door. He scrambled in and fastened his seatbelt in one fluid motion.

“Step on it, Hee-chan,” he panted slightly. “If we hurry, we can get to the hotel before them and grab Harry’s stuff. I wouldn’t put it past that whale to destroy it if we don’t get it first.”

The shaggy haired brunet nodded and slammed his foot to the accelerator, pulling out of the parking lot. It took them less than ten minutes with Heero’s driving to reach the hotel that Harry and the Dursleys were staying at.

“Okay, Harry,” the braided teen unbuckled and turned to look at his brother, “what room were you in?”

“Second floor, room 208,” he pried his hand off the door handle, where he had clutched in fear for his life. He’d never been that scared while riding in a car before, not even when the flying Ford Angela crashed at Hogwarts. He then began fishing in the pocket of his oversized jeans, finally withdrawing a small plastic card. “I have the extra key, figured it would be good to have just in case Dudley forgot his.”

“Aww, you’re no fun,” Duo pouted slightly, but took the card key anyway. “Alright, so what all did you bring?”

“My trunk,” the bespectacled teen reached for the seatbelt buckle, intending to get out and help his brother.

“You stay put, I’ll manage just fine,” the former Deathscythe pilot waved him off. “Anything else?”

“Just my owl cage, but if you can’t manage it, don’t worry, I can always get another one,” Harry waved dismissively. “It’s just for transporting her on the train. Are you sure you don’t want my help? My trunk’s pretty heavy, it’s got all my school supplies in it.”

“Don’t worry about it, Wuffers told us all about your trunk,” Duo smirked. “I’ll be back in a bit. Heero, be ready to pull out as soon as I get back. I’d rather not have to deal with my _darling_ uncle again.”

“Hai,” Heero nodded.

Duo slipped out of the car and made his way into the building. Once out of sight of the car, he raced up the stairs to the indicated room and put the key in the slot. When the light turned green, he slipped inside. The room was a standard double, nothing too extraordinary about it. Not that he expected anything else, the bill was being footed by the Preventers, and they were, after all, a government agency and they weren’t going to spring for anything too fancy.

At the end of one of the beds he found the trunk Harry had been talking about, the bird cage propped precariously on top of it. He decided to leave the cage, figuring he could get his brother a new one when his first paycheck came in. He hefted the trunk onto his shoulder, grunting a bit with the effort.

“Huh, Wuffers wasn’t kidding about this thing, it’s easily over a hundred pounds,” the former pilot muttered to himself. “Wonder what kind of school he goes to that requires this much shit?”

With a slight shrug, he left the room and headed for the stairs. Just as he reached the door, he heard the elevator ding somewhere down the hall. He paused, slipping inside the door but leaving it slightly ajar as he recognized the voices of the people getting off the elevator.

“Dumbledore is really not going to like this,” Petunia was hissing quietly.

“What can that old coot do?” Vernon shot back. “We’ll tell him the boy was kidnapped when he was at the park. Then it’ll be those damned Order member’s fault and we’ll be left alone.”

“What about the money?” his aunt’s voice was worried. “If we don’t keep him over the summer break, Dumbledore won’t pay us.”

“We’d better get that brat’s money when he dies, or else he’ll have another thing coming to him,” the fat man muttered darkly. “We’ve kept him alive for the past fifteen years, at our own expense, I might add. Dumbledore had better keep up his end of the bargain, or he’ll pay dearly.”

The rest of the conversation was cut off by the slamming of a door. Duo didn’t know what to make of what he’d heard, but he was willing to put money on the fact that Harry would. He shook his head and quickly made his way back out to the waiting car. He put the wizard’s things in the trunk and then slipped back into his seat.

“What kept you?” Heero asked quietly, as he pulled out onto the street.

“Later,” the braided teen hissed back, not wanting to have this conversation in the car.

The remainder of the drive passed in a rather tense silence that none of the trio were willing to break, each for their own different reasons. Finally, after what felt like hours to Harry, but in fact it was only one, since the former Wing pilot kept making false turns and leading them in by a roundabout way, not that the bespectacled teen knew this, they reached their destination.

The young wizard gaped openly as they pulled into the drive of a large four story house. True, it was nothing in comparison to Hogwarts, but even he knew that by Muggle standards this was an expensive house. He honestly hadn’t thought his brother was that well off.

“You live here?” he asked, his voice betraying his incredulity.

“Only for the time being,” Duo smiled at his brother’s gobsmacked expression. “We move around a lot. This just happens to be the house we live in right now.”

“Are you rich?” the raven couldn’t help but ask. If this was only a temporary home, they had to be well off.

The braided teen burst out laughing, “Me, no. Neither Heero or I could afford this place. It belongs to a friend of ours. In fact, he’s probably already inside. Speaking of, we should get you inside and give you proper introductions to everyone.”

Harry followed his brother’s lead and got out of the car. Heero went around to the back and grabbed Harry’s trunk. The bespectacled teen went back to offer his assistance, but the brunet just grunted and proceeded up to the house. As soon as the three of them were safely inside, a large muscular man with a funny looking beard appeared.

“Ah, Master Duo, Master Heero, welcome back,” the man greeted them with a slight bow. “May I take that upstairs for you? Master Quatre is waiting for you in the parlor with Master Trowa.”

“Thanks, Rashid,” Duo beamed at the formidable man. “Just put it in the spare room next to ours. Oh, and Rashid, this is my brother, Harry. Harry, Rashid.”

“Hi,” the raven waved lamely at the man who reminded him a bit of Hagrid.

“Welcome, Master Harry,” Rashid gave another slight bow before relieving Heero of his burden and making his way up the stairs.

The former Deathscythe pilot grabbed his brother’s hand, as well as his boyfriend’s, and practically dragged both of them into one of the various doors in the hall.

The room they entered was bright, with several large windows on two of the walls, strategically placed to let in optimal sunlight. There was a fireplace, currently unlit, at one end, with a couch and two chairs facing it in a semicircle. On the couch were the two guys Harry had seen in the conference room he’d first met Duo in.

As soon as the door opened, two sets of eyes, one blue and the other green, were locked on the young wizard. Never used to people staring, even with all his fame, he shifted slightly and brought his free hand up to nervously rub at his scar. He had to remind himself that these people were Muggles and wouldn’t know anything about him or his blasted scar.

“Hey guys,” Duo greeted the pair cheerfully, as he pulled Harry and Heero further into the room. “Sorry we’re late, had to grab Harry’s things. Oh, speaking of,” he looked back at his brother over his shoulder, “you need to get me a list by this evening of everything left at our aunt’s house so I can send someone to get it.”

“Don’t bother,” the raven shrugged. “Everything’s in my trunk. I mean, besides Hedwig, but she’ll find me, she always does.”

Almost as if on cue, there was a light tapping on the window. Four guns appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but the bespectacled teen didn’t seem to notice as he spotted the large white owl on the other side of the glass.

“Hedwig!” he cried as he dashed out of the room and back down the hall.

“Shit!” the former Deathscythe pilot cursed before following his brother back to the main door. “Harry, you can’t just go running off like that!” he scolded when he finally caught up to him. “You could’ve been hurt.”

“Hurt?” confusion clouded the emerald gaze. “I was just going to let my owl in. I would’ve used the window, but those ones didn’t open.”

The large bird was now perched on Harry’s shoulder, gently nipping at his fingers as he stroked her stomach. The large yellow eyes studied the braided teen for a few moments before she gave a soft hoot and turned her attention back to her attentive master.

“She likes you,” the wizard chuckled slightly.

“Okay,” Duo gave the bird a skeptical look. “Anyway, we’ll discuss safety later. You can’t just go running off around here. So, for right now, until we have a chance to talk, you don’t leave my sight, got it?”

“You’re worse than Mrs. Weasley,” the raven muttered sullenly.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” the former Deathscythe pilot crossed his arms over his chest and gave his younger brother a pointed look.

“I said,” Harry raised his chin defiantly, “you’re worse than Mrs. Weasley. And she’s my best friend’s _mum_.”

“Oh no, you didn’t,” amethyst orbs narrowed dangerously.

The bespectacled teen gulped at that look and then took off back down the hall. He skidded into the parlor and dashed behind Heero, who was still standing. Duo ran in a moment later, his eyes zeroing in on the wizard.

“Step aside, Heero, he’s mine,” the self-proclaimed Shinigami growled.

A dark brow rose in silent inquiry as to what the other had done.

“He freakin’ compared me to some punk’s mom,” Duo pointed at his brother.

A soft snicker came from the direction of the couch.

“It’s not funny, Quatre,” he rounded on the petite blond.

“It is, Duo, admit it,” Trowa said quietly, a smile dancing across his own lips. “Who knew the great Duo Maxwell had a mother hen side?”

Before he could snap back a retort, the former Sandrock pilot gasped, “Is that an owl?”

Hedwig, who had abandoned her post on Harry’s shoulder when he started running, had just flown into the room. She landed gracefully back on her master’s shoulder, giving everyone in the room a once over before starting to preen her feathers.

“Don’t change the subject, Quatre,” the braided teen growled quietly.

His brother, however, was glad for the distraction and latched onto it with fervor, “Yeah, I got her when I was eleven. She was my first real birthday present, or at least that I remember.”

“What?!” four sets of eyes were now glued to the younger teen.

“What? I’m sure my mum and dad gave me something for my first birthday, I just don’t remember it,” the wizard shrugged as if it wasn’t that big a deal. “I’m sure Si… er, others did as well.”

“Oh, look, I believe it’s time for lunch,” the blond cut in, steering away from the awkward conversation.

The unibanged teen beside him nodded and pushed to his feet. He held out his hand and helped the other to his feet, and together they headed out of the room.

Heero followed them out, with Harry close on his heels, not quite sure if his brother’s anger had abated yet, or what he would do if it hadn’t. Duo fell into step with the younger teen, he would’ve gone up to the other brunet, but he wanted to talk with his brother, his boyfriend would understand. He threw his arm around the shorter teen’s shoulders, pulling him closer to his side.

“Don’t think I’m gonna let that remark slide, squirt,” he said playfully. “But for now, its lunchtime and we’ve got some talking to do.”

The raven bowed his head, knowing what was in store for him later. His uncle always waited until they were alone to exact his punishment for his snide tongue. Why did he have to do things like that? He wasn’t at school. He wasn’t the boy-who-lived-to-be-Dumbledore’s-pet here, he was just a kid. And Uncle Vernon had told him all his life that no one liked a smartass, punk kid.

The former Wing pilot led the way into the kitchen, and began pulling things out of the fridge for a light lunch. Usually the five of them, at least whenever the elusive Wufei decided to show up, would be on their own for lunch and have dinner together, but what with today’s events and Harry’s arrival, he knew they would all want to be together to get to know the newest member of their makeshift family.

Trowa and Quatre arrived just as he was setting out the last things to make sandwiches with, the pair having detoured somewhere after they left the parlor. They all sat down and began making their own lunch. All four former pilots noticed the wizard’s hesitation to take anything, but none of them chose to comment on it.

“Oh, where have our manners gone,” Quatre said after a few moment’s silence. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Quatre Winner.”

The bespectacled teen gave a small smile, “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Harry Potter.”

The former Sandrock pilot frowned slightly, no one had ever reacted to him like that before, well, except the other pilots, but he quickly shook it off and pointed to the unibanged teen, “And this is my boyfriend, Trowa Barton.”

“Oh,” green eyes darted between the pair in something akin to shock.

“That doesn’t bother you, does it?” the blond could’ve kicked himself for making their guest uncomfortable. “If it does, we’ll keep things to a minimum around you.”

“Huh?” confusion marred the other’s features for a moment before a faint blush tinted his cheeks. “Oh, no, it’s not a problem. In fact, I helped set up a couple of my dorm mates at school.” He chuckled slightly at the memory of helping Lavender and Pavati lock Seamus and Dean in the Room of Requirements for the night. “You just caught me off guard is all. Not too many people are that open about that. It’s actually refreshing to see.”

“Oh, well, in that case,” Duo grinned at his little brother.

“You’re dating Heero?” Harry shook his head. “It was rather obvious. I’m sure even Uncle Vernon picked up on it, and he’s about as open minded as a brick wall when it comes to things like that. Then again, you did call him ‘love’ when you asked him to take me to the car.”

He quickly snapped his mouth shut. He’d said too much. He was sure to be in for it now.

His brother’s grin, if possible, got even wider, “I like him. I think I’ll keep him around.” He then shook his head and became serious, “Anyway, we need to discuss a few things since we’re all here. First off, rule one: you aren’t allowed in any other bedroom except yours without express permission. You respect our privacy, we’ll respect yours, unless of course we think you’re doing something you shouldn’t and then we’ll come in guns blazin’ and take ya down.”

“Duo,” the other three pilots gave him a glare.

“What,” he held up his hands, “I just call it like I see it. Okay, rule two: you are not allowed to go outside without letting someone know about it first.”

“This is for your safety, Harry,” Quatre felt the need to explain this rule further. “You see, there are people out there that want to hurt us, and they will use any means necessary to achieve that, even going so far as to kidnap or kill you. Understand?”

The wizard nodded, he understood that only too well. After all, that’s what he’d been led to believe about Sirius.

“Will you promise that you’ll do the same?” he bit his lip nervously.

“If it makes you feel better,” the blond nodded in some confusion.

“Even when I’m at school?” green eyes looked up sharply.

“I think you’re overreacting there, bud,” his brother shared a look with the other pilots, something was going on with the younger teen, and he wasn’t sure what.

“I don’t mean every time you go outside,” Harry shook his head, “but I can leave Hedwig here if necessary so you can tell me when you leave for an extended period of time. If I don’t get a message back saying you arrived home safely, I’ll come and find you.”

“Is there something you want to tell us, Harry?” Quatre asked quietly, gently placing his hand on the younger teen’s.

The small blond was slightly shocked, though nothing showed on his face, at what happened from that simple action. He had thought that Harry was a rather closed off individual, similar to his Trowa or Lady Une, since he couldn’t openly tell what he was feeling with his Space Heart. Now, however, he knew that wasn’t the case, as just a simple touch had opened the younger teen like a book. Though he couldn’t explain why, there was a niggling in the back of his mind about the phenomenon. He would deal with that later, right now, he needed to focus on the nervousness and fear that was practically radiating off the boy.

The wizard just shook his head, he couldn’t tell them, for so many reasons; the Ministry, the war, but the main one being he didn’t want them to hate him, like the Dursleys had.

“No!” Duo slammed his fist on the table, causing the raven to start violently, his hand, and emotions, slipping out of the Arabian’s grasp. “You’re not keeping this from us, Harry. Who’s out to kill you? Is it that Dumbledore creep I heard the Dursleys talking about?”

Heero and Trowa now gave the two brothers their undivided attention. If Harry had someone out to kill him they would take care of the problem, no questions asked. He was family now, whether he realized it or not.

Quatre gave the braided pilot a confused look, “Duo, what are you…”

“The Dursleys were talking about Dumbledore?” the bespectacled teen accidentally cut the blond off in his confusion. “Why would they talk about him? They don’t like him, and as far as I know, they don’t even know him. About him, sure, but they’ve never been in contact with him.”

“Oh, they’ve been in contact with him alright,” the former Deathscythe pilot shook his head, “considering he’s going to pay them when you die.”

The young wizard’s mind was in turmoil. Dumbledore was going to pay the Dursleys when he died? That would explain his actions over the past year, how he wouldn’t even look him in the eye. He was just waiting for Voldemort to finish him off. If the others hadn’t shown up at the Ministry it probably would’ve happened. All those people had fought, and in Sirius’ case, died, in his place.

Whatever reaction Duo was expecting, this wasn’t it. He expected denial, confusion, or even anger, but this utterly defeated teen before him was not something he could cope with. In one quick movement, he was by his brother’s side, sinking to the floor and pulling the distraught boy into his arms.

“Harry, it’s alright, I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise,” he muttered into the messy black locks, rubbing small circles on the younger teen’s back.

“Nooo!” Harry started to sob uncontrollably, trembling violently in his brother’s arms. Duo couldn’t promise him that, he wouldn’t let him. He’d already lost his parents, and then Sirius, as they tried to protect him, he’d be damned if he lost his newfound brother to this fight too.

Unbeknownst to the two on the floor, the wizard wasn’t the only thing shaking violently. The plates and silverware on the table were beginning to rattle uncontrollably as Harry’s magic started to slip out of his control. The other three were on their feet in an instant, staring at the moving flatware.

Trowa didn’t know what to think about this new situation. The dishes aside, which he couldn’t explain for the life of him, it was obvious Duo’s brother knew the man his relatives had been talking about, even trusted him, but that man wasn’t the one out to kill him; not based on his initial reaction. Why, though, did he break down when the braided teen promised to protect him? He didn’t get it, that should have made him feel better, not worse.

The niggling in the back of Quatre’s mind had now manifested into one word which quickly became a mantra: Magic. Magic, magic, magic. He’d heard about similar situations like this from when he was little. Magic, magic, magic. Hadn’t his sisters told him his mother had magic? Magic, magic, magic. Wasn’t one of his older sisters studying magic somewhere on the Sphere? Magic, magic, magic. What if Harry had magic? Magic, magic, magic. What if he’d lost control? The mantra stopped. If Harry had lost control then he could help him.

Heero’s first reaction to the flatware situation was to take cover, but he wouldn’t leave Duo or his brother behind. He intended to go over, take the younger teen from his lover, and head for cover, but he couldn’t move. Somehow or other, his legs had been frozen in place, he couldn’t even bend his knees. He had to do something, now. Taking quick inventory of himself, he found he still had use of everything else. Once that was done, he turned to the former Heavyarms pilot, who just seemed to be in shock, and gripped his arm tightly.

“Sedative, now,” he demanded in a no-nonsense tone.

The unibanged teen nodded and quickly left the room, only slightly confused as to why the former Wing pilot wasn’t doing this himself. The blond, meanwhile, fell to his knees beside the two brothers, hoping they could get the younger teen calmed down before he got hurt by the falling dishes that was sure to occur.

He reached for the wizard’s hand, hoping to anchor him to reality and out of whatever thoughts he was having, and if his theory was correct, back in control. He gasped at the onslaught of emotions that overtook him when he made skin to skin contact with the younger teen. Tears filled his teal eyes as he placed the strongest ones: guilt, grief, and betrayal.

Trowa made it back to the kitchen as the first plate skidded off the table and shattered on the hardwood floor at the still immobile Heero’s feet. He rushed over to the trio on the floor and quickly stuck the needle he had brought back with him into the arm his lover was holding. Harry’s sobs gently subsided as the sedative took hold.

“No,” the raven whimpered softly, trying to fight the drug now coursing through his veins. “Don’t… want… to…”

They never found out what he didn’t want to do, as the sedative kicked in and he fell limp in his brother’s arms. Simultaneously, the emotions coursing through Quatre and the rattling of the plates ceased, and Heero regained control of his legs. The blond blinked in shock at the sudden removal of the emotions, which had never happened before, except when a person died, but he could tell by the gentle rise and fall of Harry’s chest that that wasn’t the case this time.

“I’m gonna go put him in bed,” Duo sighed softly, unaware of the turmoil the other three were going through.

“Come back down when you’re done,” the former Wing pilot said calmly, though inside he was anything but. “We need to discuss this.”

The self proclaimed Shinigami carried the younger teen up the stairs and into the third room down the hall. He padded quietly over to the bed and placed Harry gently down on it. He quickly divested him of his shoes, socks, and glasses before tucking him in. As he finished, he brushed the raven locks off the other’s forehead, frowning slightly as he caught sight of his scar once again.

He shook his head, now was not the time to wonder what had happened to his brother to give him that. He sighed quietly and made his way back to the door, the others were waiting for him after all. With a final look back, he exited the room.

Duo made his way back down the stairs and finally found the others waiting for him in the parlor. He made a beeline for the chair Heero was seated in and perched on the arm.

“Tell us what you know about what happened in there,” the former Wing pilot commanded quietly, slipping his arm around his boyfriend’s waist for comfort, still unnerved about his temporary paralysis.

“Back at the hotel,” the braided teen sighed, leaning into the shaggy haired brunet’s hold, not sure what had brought on the unsolicited embrace but appreciating it nonetheless, “as I was leaving, the Dursleys arrived back and I overheard them. They were saying that this Dumbledore guy wasn’t going to like that Harry was now with me. But Vernon had a story all planned out. Apparently, there’s an organization called the Order involved and he’s going to blame it on them, saying he was kidnapped.

“That’s when the topic shifted to money, Harry’s money to be exact. It sounded like Dumbledore promised to give it to them when Harry died. Vernon is dead set on getting his hands on it, even threatened to do something about it if Dumbledore refused to pay up.”

“Harry is obviously close to this Dumbledore,” Quatre shook his head, settling more securely into his lover’s arms on their spot on the couch. “The betrayal he felt was overwhelming. I still can’t get over it.”

“What else did you feel?” Heero asked, and even though his face remained perfectly blank, they all knew the underlying concern he was feeling. “Could you tell if it was possibly a misunderstanding?”

“He’s a mess,” the blond sighed, having no better explanation for Harry’s emotional state. “There were so many emotions running through him. Betrayal was among the most prominent, as well as grief and guilt, which I don’t understand at all.”

“It looks like we won’t get any answers until Harry wakes up,” Duo shook his head. “I figured he’d know what the Dursleys were talking about, and it seems I was right.” He then added under his breath, “What are you involved in, little brother?”

“Duo, there’s something else you should know,” Quatre said quietly, but still managed to get everyone’s undivided attention. “When he was sedated, his emotions shut down. They weren’t lessened, they were completely gone from my senses. I feared for a moment he was dead.”

“What?!” the former Deathscythe pilot scowled in his friend’s direction.

“Calm down, Duo,” Trowa sighed, pulling his boyfriend protectively against his side. “While Quatre’s Space Heart is rather reliable, it isn’t infallible. Perhaps you shut it down, little one, if the feelings were as overwhelming as you claim.”

“That could’ve been the case, I guess,” the Arabian agreed after some thought.

“What about the dishes?” the unibanged teen spoke up again. “Any ideas about that?”

“There could be any number of explanations for that,” the former Wing pilot sighed, cutting off any comments from the other two, “from a minor earthquake, to a high frequency pulse. It could have nothing to do with Harry.” Though, nothing he could think of explained what happened to his legs.

“You were sure enough to have him sedated,” Quatre pointed out, his thoughts drifting back to his earlier speculations.

“I did that so we could get him out of harm’s way,” the brunet shook his head. “There was no way we could’ve gotten him out of there in the state he was in.”

“Aww, we always knew you were a big softie,” Duo grinned, throwing his arms around Heero’s neck, effectively breaking the tension that had built up in the room.

“We still need to get the information from him when he wakes up,” the blond sighed, wondering how to broach the topic of magic with the younger teen. “Not something I’m looking forward to, but it has to be done if we are to protect him. How long do you think he’ll be out, Trowa?”

“I only gave him a mild sedative,” the former Heavyarms pilot shrugged. “It’s hard to say for sure, though. But I believe he should be up in time for dinner.”


	5. Dream Connections

Chapter 5: Dream Connections

A few hours later, Harry groaned as the drug began wearing off. He felt the soft bed beneath him and wondered vaguely why Ron hadn’t woke him up to tell him it was time for class or dinner or something. He fumbled around behind him, searching for his glasses, which he usually put on his bedside cabinet, but all his hand encountered was more of the bed he was lying in.

He sat up with a start. Where was he? He’d never been in a place like this, much less slept in a bed this size before. Had he been captured? It would explain the groggy feeling. But no, that didn’t make sense, no Death Eater would ever put him in a room like this, much less let him sleep.

He paused and took a deep breath. Okay, time to take stock. He wasn’t injured, so that ruled out the Hospital Wing, in fact, he didn’t think he was at Hogwarts at all. It did feel like he’d been given a sleeping potion though. On the heels of that thought he remembered the vague sense of something puncturing his arm. A needle? Duo! His brother had drugged him! But why? Why would he do something like that?

He tried to remember what he was doing up till that point. He remembered they’d been eating lunch, and they were telling him the rules. He asked them to tell him what was happening when he was at school. Then the conversation had turned to Dumbledore.

‘Oh shit,’ he thought frantically. ‘I lost control. I lost control of my magic, now they’re going to hate me. I’ve got to leave.’

He looked around the bed and spotted his glasses on a small table. He slipped them on and took stock of the room he was in. It was a large room, almost as big as the whole fifth year dormitory at Hogwarts, that was decorated in dark green and black. Aside from the queen sized bed he was currently in, there was an oak desk under one of the dark curtained windows, and a matching dresser under the other along the same wall. Across the room was a small fireplace with a black chaise lounge in front of it, and flanked by a door on either side, which he assumed, were for a closet and possibly an ensuite bathroom. The final wall only sported a door, which all things considered must lead out into the hallway.

He shook his head, dismissing the distraction for what it was. The fact of the matter was he had to leave. But where would he go? He wasn’t going to return to the Dursleys, that was a given, but who would take him in? The Weasleys were too close to Dumbledore at the moment, even though it hurt him dearly to write them off, they had after all looked after him so many times over the past few years. Hermione was out of the question, since she lived in the Muggle world and this Preventer organization was sure to find him there. He wished more than anything that Sirius were alive, he knew his godfather would’ve hidden him away until he could work everything out. On the heels of that thought came his answer: Remus. Remus would understand and help him out.

He jumped to his feet, intending to send a message to him right away. Almost immediately, however, he fell back on the bed, slightly dizzy from the sudden movement.

“Well, damn,” he muttered to himself, “looks like I won’t be going anywhere right now. What the hell did they give me?”

He slowly got to his feet and made his way over to the desk, using the wall and nearby furniture for support. There was paper in one of the drawers, as well as some pens. He took out a sheet and quickly scrawled a note to Remus, asking him if they could meet, secretly, in the town he was currently staying in. With that accomplished, he attached it to Hedwig’s leg, who was perched on the window sill, and sent her off with the letter.

Once his beloved owl was out of sight, he carefully made his way back to the bed and slipped beneath the covers once again. He only intended to lie down until the groggy feeling went away, but shortly after his hand hit the pillow he was lost in the world of Morpheus.

888888

Throughout the rest of the day, Duo could tell his lover was unsettled by something, but he wasn’t going to pressure him into telling. He knew he wouldn’t get any answers from his ‘Perfect Soldier’ till he was good and ready to give them. With that thought, among others, he did a quick check on his younger brother, who hadn’t been up in time for dinner as predicted, only to find him sleeping peacefully, so he took himself off to his own bed for the night.

As he was falling asleep, the braided teen let his mind wander where it would. He wasn’t sure what was going on with his brother but he’d give him a few days to see if he’d come around on his own, otherwise he’d have to take drastic measures, involving rope, butter, and honey. From there, his mind drifted to the new parts he needed for his mecha, and how he would attain said parts, not that Quatre or Lady Une would let him go through with these plans but they were fun to think about nevertheless. And with that, he fell into a peaceful sleep in his boyfriend’s arms.

888888

_Duo found himself sitting in, what he’d officially dubbed, Quatre’s Tower. It was a room on the fifth (1) floor of the house they were staying in. The braided teen compared it to a tower on a castle, considering it was the only room on that floor and was round with high windows, perfect for defending the keep. The blond, however, kept trying to burst his bubble by saying it was just meant for storage, similar to an attic._

_There were four other people in the tower with him, though he had no idea who any of them were. Okay, that wasn’t true, the boy on his left was his very own newfound little brother. Across from his seat was a beautiful redheaded woman with enchanting emerald eyes, the exact shade and shape as Harry’s. Beside her was a man with black, flyaway hair and hazel eyes. He couldn’t help but think he’d make a better candidate for Harry’s brother, but he was Harry’s brother, damn it, and he wasn’t going to give that up without a fight. Finally, he came to the last person in the room, another male with shoulder-length black hair and mischievous blue eyes. He was sure he’d seen this guy somewhere before but he couldn’t place it at the moment, though he had a vague sense of it having something to do with a prison, but he’d been in so many of them on both sides of the bars it was hard to know anything for sure._

_“Devlan,” the woman’s voice drew his attention back to her, “oh, my baby boy.”_

_“I’m sorry, lady,” the braided teen shook his head, “I think you got the wrong guy, name’s Duo. Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide but I never tell a lie.”_

_“Of course you are, sweetie,” she gave him a fondly indulgent smile. “We want you to know how proud we are of you. Everything you’ve done so the people could enjoy peace.”_

_Amethyst eyes widened in surprise. How could this woman he’d never met know about what he’d done, and why he did it? But for some unfathomable reason, he felt a great swell of his own pride that he’d made her proud._

_“Aw,” he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “it was nothin.’”_

_“That’s my boy,” the Harry look-alike beamed at him, slipping his arm around the woman’s shoulders, “ever the modest one, just like his old man.”_

_“Right,” the redhead scoffed, before her expression morphed to utter seriousness. “Duo Maxwell, who never tells a lie, I need you to do something for me.”_

_“What’s that?” he asked curiously, not wanting to disappoint her._

_“I need you to give me your word,” a tear snaked its way down her cheek as her gaze darted briefly to the younger teen, who appeared to be distracted with the third adult. “Please, Duo, my Devlan, protect your brother. Promise me you will do anything within your power to protect him.”_

_“Lady, you don’t have to ask me to do that,” he shook his head animatedly, as if he’d do anything but._

_“You have to promise me,” she insisted. “I can help you protect Harry, but I need your word.”_

_“You have it,” he gave her a slightly confused look but willing to go along with anything to bring the smile back to her face. “I, Duo Maxwell, will do anything within my power to protect Harry Potter, my brother, as long as he is mine to protect.”_

_As he finished, the smile returned, bigger and brighter than before. She reached out and gently caressed his cheek, tears still falling from her vibrant green eyes. The former Deathscythe pilot felt a jolt of something at her touch, but it vanished as quickly as it came, only to be replaced with a peace of mind he’d never experienced, except in the presence of the other pilots, like he’d finally come home._

_Just then, the door located behind the brothers opened and in walked an old man, who had to be older than dirt. Duo didn’t know who this character was at all, but if the glare his brother was sending his way was any indication he wasn’t one of the good guys. The man motioned for the other three adults to follow him, seemingly ignoring the teens, and they all stood to do so. At this point, Harry jumped up to follow them, and Duo followed suit, knowing he had to stop his brother._

_“Let me go,” the younger teen cried, trying to break out of his hold. “I have to stop them.”_

_“No, you stop, Harry!” he yelled at the raven, but he didn’t seem able to hear him. “I promised to protect you. You can’t follow them.” He then added much more quietly, “You have to stay with me. You can’t abandon me, too.”_

_As if they’d been summoned by his call, the other four pilots were at his side, helping him restrain his younger brother. He was grateful for their help, he didn’t know how he’d ever manage without them._

_“Harry,” the long haired adult looked back from the doorway, “you have to let us go. We’re needed elsewhere. You’ll be fine here, I have faith in your brother.”_

_“No, Sirius!” Harry screamed, trying once again to break the pilots’ hold on him. “You can’t leave me! I need you! SIRIUS!”_

888888

Quatre rushed into Harry’s bedroom, having felt the boy’s distress all the way across the hall. He found the younger teen thrashing around on the bed, with Heero standing beside it, trying to wake the sleeping raven. He quietly made his way over to the former Wing pilot and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” the blond asked in barely a whisper.

“Nightmare,” the shaggy haired brunet grunted back.

“That I can see,” the former Sandrock pilot shook his head slightly, trying not to laugh. “But why are you in here?”

“Duo was talking in his sleep,” the usually stoic teen sighed. “He was saying to stop Harry, he said he promised to protect him and that he couldn’t follow them. Then I heard Harry, so I came to check on him. I’ve never heard him sound so desperate about anything before. I’m scared, Quatre.”

“Go back to your lover, Heero,” the shorter teen smiled faintly, he knew that took a lot for Heero to admit. “I’ll keep an eye on Harry till he wakes up.”

“Thank you, Quatre,” he gave an almost imperceptible smile and walked out of the room.

The blond pilot sat down on the edge of Harry’s bed and brushed the sweaty bangs away from the sleeping teen’s forehead. He was careful not to make too much contact with the raven’s skin, mindful of what had happened before in the kitchen. He let his mind drift as Harry settled back into a more peaceful slumber.

He knew that all the pilots, himself included, now had a soft spot for Harry, and it wasn’t just that he was Duo’s brother. Why, he wasn’t so sure. He knew that if they had met Harry during the war, Heero would’ve had no trouble killing him off as a liability, okay, maybe a little trouble. There was something about him that was so strong, yet helpless at the same time. It made Quatre want to hide the boy away and make sure no one ever hurt him again, and he could tell the others felt the same.

But what was Harry hiding? There were so many things that didn’t add up about Duo’s younger brother. His paranoia at lunch had made no sense. He could understand Duo’s, hell, he felt that way himself, but Harry had no reason for that. Did he?

Perhaps it had something to do with the grief and guilt he’d felt from the younger teen. Perhaps he’d had someone close to him go out and get into an accident, why would he feel guilty? Someone was sure to explain to him that things like that just happen, it wasn’t his fault.

The former Sandrock pilot lowered his head into his hands. His circling thoughts were giving him a headache. Without realizing it, the aquamarine orbs slipped closed and he was lost in the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

(1. Earlier I did state that there were four floors that Harry saw from the front, I’m not going crazy and I didn’t forget, he just didn’t see ‘the tower’ as Duo calls it.)


	6. The Letter

Chapter 6: The Letter

Harry woke bright and early the next morning, before the sun had even crested the horizon, but he knew he’d never be able to fall asleep again. He hadn’t stayed at the Dursleys at all since school let out, but his summer routine was something he fell into rather quickly, or else. He shuddered slightly as he recalled his first morning back after his first year: Uncle Vernon had beaten him almost to the point of unconsciousness and still expected him to cook and clean all day.

He fumbled around for his glasses and slipped them on before sitting up. Once he was upright, he noticed the blond head of his brother’s friend, lying awkwardly on his bed, like he had fallen asleep sitting up and then fell over. The wizard shook his head at this, and decided he would let the older teen sleep.

That decided, he got out of bed, trying not to jostle it too much, and made his way over to the other side. Being as careful as possible, he swung Quatre’s legs up onto the bed and made sure he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable when he woke up. The bespectacled teen then made his way over to his trunk and pulled out a set of clean clothes for the day. He dressed quickly, keeping a wary eye on the sleeping figure in the bed as he did so. Then he made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him silently.

With years of slipping around the Dursleys, and subsequently Hogwarts, the raven made it to the kitchen without alerting the other occupants of the house to his movements. He then proceeded to pull things out to make breakfast for everyone.

As he began frying up the bacon he’d found, his mind drifted back to the dream he’d had that night. Yeah, he remembered it all right, in vivid detail. He even figured out who the five people were that he hadn’t recognized before, that is after he saw Quatre that morning. But it made little sense to him as to why his brother and his friends would be holding him back.

Another thing that was rather unsettling was the feel of the dream. It didn’t have the normal feel of his nightmares, which were usually just flashes of memories. This sure as hell hadn’t been a memory, he had never talked to his parents, not living anyway. It also wasn’t like his Voldemort induced visions, which felt so real. And while this dream felt real, in a sense, it felt more like when he had seen his parents’ specters in the graveyard.

Though, if he believed in Divination at all, he would’ve gone upstairs and pulled out his copy of the _Dream Oracle_ Trelawney had assigned them last year. But, alas, he didn’t, so he stayed in the kitchen and continued to make breakfast.

888888

Duo woke early, by his standards, in his boyfriend’s embrace. That in and of itself was unusual, cause the ‘Perfect Soldier’ was normally up before him. Not that he was complaining, mind you. He really enjoyed the rare times he got to snuggle with Heero in the mornings.

He lay there contentedly, going over the strange dream he’d had. It wasn’t that dreaming was all that uncommon for him, but the feel of this dream was off, not to mention he didn’t recognize anyone in it, well, aside from his kid brother.

It was really bugging him how real it felt. It felt like that promise he’d made was important, it wasn’t just some silly dream waffling, it actually meant something. He wasn’t sure what at the moment, but it was something big. The self proclaimed Shinigami knew that he wouldn’t go back on his word to the woman, dream or not, Duo Maxwell didn’t lie, but he wasn’t quite sure what he’d gotten himself into.

At that moment, the smell of bacon wafted into the room. Duo gave an audible groan and sprang from the bed, waking his lover in the process. He dashed across the room to his closet and began throwing on clothes.

Heero watched his boyfriend with barely concealed amusement. It wasn’t difficult for the former Wing pilot to know what had set his lover off. The smell of food was tantalizing and the former street rat never missed a chance to eat, when he could help it.

“Come on, Hee-chan,” the braided teen whined from inside the closet. “Get up. I think Trowa’s cooking. I smell bacon.”

The shaggy haired brunet let out a soft chuckle as he slipped out of bed. He couldn’t help but agree with Duo’s assessment. True, the pilots all took turns cooking and none of them were against cooking bacon, but the former clown was well known for making it on his mornings to cook, as was Duo, but since his boyfriend was in the room and not the kitchen, it was the logical explanation.

When they were both dressed, the pair left their room, making their way toward the kitchen. Their assumption about the cook, however, was quickly disbanded as the unibanged teen exited his and Quatre’s room just after they entered the hall.

“Hey, Tro,” amethyst eyes narrowed slightly in mild confusion, “thought you were cooking. Is it Quat, then?”

“Possibly,” the other shrugged. “He wasn’t in the room when I woke up.”

“Shit,” Heero swore and turned to look at the door next to his and Duo’s room. “Quatre said he’d stay with Harry last night.”

“Why?” the braided teen turned to him curiously.

“Harry had a nightmare,” he shrugged and made his way over to the door. “Quatre said he’d stay until Harry woke up so I could return to you.”

The other two shared a look before catching up to him as he opened the door. They quietly poked their heads into the room, hoping not to wake the younger teen. However, the sight that greeted them had them all in varying states of panic, though only Duo showed it outwardly. The former Sandrock pilot was sleeping rather awkwardly on the bed, but there was no sign of Harry in sight.

The self proclaimed Shinigami entered the room and made his way over to the bathroom, hoping against hope that his brother was in there. Trowa, meanwhile, went over to the bed and lightly shook his lover’s shoulder. The blond was up in a flash, his instinct kicking in automatically.

“Oh,” he visibly relaxed when he saw who exactly had awoken him. “Good morning.”

“Quatre, where’s Harry?” Duo’s panicked voice came from the bathroom. “He’s not in here.”

“What?” teal eyes widened as he took in his current surroundings. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, I must’ve fallen asleep.”

The former Deathscythe pilot rushed out of the ensuite and pulled the gun from his belt, his nerves making him jumpy. Heero went over and put a calming hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“He can’t have gone far,” the shaggy haired brunet said reasonably. “All his things are still here. We’ll do a primary sweep of the house and if we don’t find him, then we’ll go out and look.”

“Stop,” Trowa’s level voice cut in. “Think about this logically. “We’re all here, and we know someone is in the kitchen cooking. Chances are very high that it is Harry.”

“It could be Wuffers,” the braided teen interjected.

“Unless he’s specifically apologizing for something he’s done to you,” the ghost of a smile flitted across the former clown’s face, “which, considering he’s been gone for the past week, is unlikely, Wufei does not cook bacon for breakfast. He finds it disgusting, or did you forget?”

Amethyst orbs turned incredulously on the unibanged teen, silently demanding he get to the point.

“All I’m saying,” he held up his hands in surrender, “is that we check the kitchen before we start a manhunt.”

“Fine,” Duo holstered his gun with a huff.

He made his way out of the room, slamming the door open in the process. The other three fell in behind him as he took the stairs two at a time.

“Harry!” he called as soon as they hit the hall leading to the kitchen, much to the consternation of the others.

“Yeah?” the tussled head of black hair popped out of the kitchen. “Did you need something?”

“Oh my god,” the former street rat pushed over and enveloped his brother in a bone-crushing hug. “Don’t do that to me. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry?” Harry bowed his head in sheepish confusion. “I was just cooking breakfast. Was I not supposed to?”

“Its fine,” Trowa interjected quietly.

The braided teen shook his head, throwing his arm around his brother’s shoulders and directing him back into the kitchen. The bespectacled teen allowed the other to lead him in but left his side at the table to go back over to the stove to finish breakfast, hoping nothing burned in the few minutes he was away, he didn’t know what the others would do if that happened.

“You scared us, Harry,” the blond explained, as they all took seats at the already set table. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if we hadn’t found you right away. So, next time, let someone know, okay?”

“Everyone was asleep,” Harry muttered quietly, not used to people outside Hogwarts worrying about him. “I didn’t want to wake anyone up.”

“That’s fine,” his brother cut in before anyone else could. “You don’t have to wake anyone up, unless there is someone in your room. You should’ve woken Quat up before you left, if for no other reason than to let him now you were okay.”

“Okay,” the raven nodded, that sounded reasonable enough.

“Alrighty then,” Duo beamed at him, “let’s eat before the food gets cold and all your hard work goes to waste.”

The younger teen finished with the food on the stove and carried it to the table, with Heero and Trowa getting up to help. They then filled their plates, with Harry taking very little, as was his custom with the Dursleys. This did not go unnoticed by the former pilots, but none of them chose to comment on it at present, they would deal with that later. As they were about to tuck in, the final member of the household walked in.

“I see you waited for me,” dark eyes rolled in annoyance as he slipped into the empty chair at the end of the table.

“Fei!” the braided teen exclaimed, leaning around Harry to slap the Chinese teen’s shoulder. “Didn’t know you were here, man, or we would’ve.”

Wufei glared at him as he piled eggs and bacon onto his plate, “I assumed that when was rudely awakened by your banging around, Maxwell. And I’ve told you numerous times, my name is Wufei.”

“Don’t mind him, Har,” he stage whispered to his brother, “he’s usually a grump in the mornings… and afternoons… and evenings… yeah, pretty much all the time.”

“I can still here you, Maxwell,” the former Shenlong pilot growled at the braided teen.

“This is really good, Harry,” Quatre, ever the diplomat, tried to dissolve the fight before it began. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“Oh,” the bespectacled teen ducked his head, not used to being praised about his cooking skills, “I’ve been cooking ever since I could reach the stove.”

Dark looks passed between the five pilots, but luckily Harry didn’t catch them. The blond was just opening his mouth to continue the line of questioning when Heero cut him off.

“Harry, who’s Sirius?”

Emerald eyes widened and the color drained from his face, while Duo gave his boyfriend a curious look. Before he could formulate an answer, however, Hedwig swooped in through the open kitchen window. The five former terrorists tensed at the unexpected intrusion, but relaxed rather quickly as the snowy bird landed gracefully beside the wizard’s plate. Luckily, the guns that had been drawn remained out of sight under the table. The amber gaze swept regally across the room as she extended her leg, where an envelope was tied with plain string.

“Thanks, girl,” the bespectacled teen chuckled slightly, retrieving the envelope and handing Hedwig the last of his bacon, grateful for the interruption. “I wasn’t expecting you back yet.”

He broke the seal on the envelope and unfolded the letter, making sure neither Wufei nor Duo could see the contents. His eyes darted back and forth across the short missive before a small smile graced his features.

“Hey, can we go into town?” he asked, slipping the letter into his shirt pocket. “I just remembered I need to get a few things.”

The pilots shared confused looks for a moment before silently agreeing to make a trip into town. They were now curious as hell to know what that letter contained, but none of them wanted to press the younger teen at the moment, not wanting a repeat of the previous evening.

“Okay then, Har,” Duo flashed him a grin and pulled him into a brief hug. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready, we’ll meet you at the door in a few?”

The raven haired wizard nodded and scampered from the room. The others shared amused looks at his enthusiasm but there was a touch of concern on each of their faces.

“I don’t know what that letter said,” the braided teen worried his lip anxiously. “But whatever it was can’t bode well.”

“So check it out already,” Wufei rolled his eyes. “We all know you have it, except perhaps Harry.”

The former street rat grinned at being caught out, but slipped the letter he’d nicked out of his pants pocket and unfolded it, laying it on the table so the others could read as well.

_Dear Prongslet,_

_I must say I was surprised to see Snow White at my door, according to what the old coot was told by the whales and horse you had been snitched. I have to say, I’m glad that you sound like you’re alright, but I am concerned about this tale. However, I won’t question you in this letter._

_As for meeting me, I will be there, I’m not sure why you don’t want me to tell anyone, as they are all worried about you, but I trust your judgment. I will be waiting at the corner of the district, at noon. Please be careful, Prongslet._

_Sincerely,_

_Moony_

_P.S. I’ve placed an anti-tracking on Snow White so she won’t be intercepted. And as for the M stuff, blame your dog, but among the DE only Wormy would be able to tell._

“That made very little sense, are you sure it was to Harry?” the former Shenlong pilot scowled at the letter, it was almost like it was written in some form of code, at least the important bits.

“It makes perfect sense,” Quatre smiled slightly. “Harry, codename Prongslet, wrote to this Moony and asked to meet him in town. Snow White is a codename for Hedwig.”

“The old coot must be that Dumbledore guy,” Duo added, rereading the letter. “Cause there’s no doubt the whales and horse are the Dursleys. But what’s the M stuff?”

“That’s the code he used,” the shaggy haired brunet intoned quietly. “Harry’s dog is actually a person that Harry would understand making such.”

“Alright,” the self proclaimed Shinigami sighed, putting the letter back in his pocket. “We don’t let Harry out of our sight while we’re in town. It sounds like he’s trying to run away.”

The others nodded and began clearing the table, shoving the dishes in the sink until they got back. Then they made their way to the front door to wait for the younger teen.


End file.
